Jay Costa | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Costa giving remarks in October 2022. | |
| Minority Leader of thePennsylvania Senate | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Mellow |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the43rd district | |
| Assumed office May 13, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Dawida |
| Register of Wills ofAllegheny County | |
| In office January 6, 1992 – May 13, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Rita Wilson Kane |
| Succeeded by | Marty Madigan(Acting)[a] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-11-17)November 17, 1957 (age 68) Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Roxanne Ross |
| Relatives |
|
| Education | Community College of Allegheny County (AS) Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BA) Duquesne University (JD) |
| a.^ Madigan served as Acting Register of Wills untilDavid Wecht was elected as Costa's permanent successor in 1997.[1] | |
Jay Costa (born November 17, 1957) is an American politician, currently serving as a member of thePennsylvania State Senate who has represented the43rd District since 1996.[2] On November 17, 2010, Senate Democrats elected Costa as their new floor leader, succeeding the retiringBob Mellow.[3]
Costa grew up in theEast Liberty andSquirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.[4] He is the son of former Allegheny County Treasurer Jay Costa, Sr.
Costa attended theCommunity College of Allegheny County, earning an A.S. degree in Criminology in 1977. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from theIndiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied Criminal Justice with the ultimate goal of becoming a police officer, and then earned aJuris Doctor from theDuquesne University School of Law.[5][6]
Costa's younger brotherPaul Costa and cousinDom Costa are both former members of thePennsylvania House of Representatives.[7]
Jay Costa began his career after graduating with a bachelor's degree as a Deputy Sheriff of Allegheny County.[8]
In 2013, Costa’s chief of staff, Tony Lepore, testified under oath that Lepore functioned as a “middle man” in a corruption scheme involving awarding lucrative state contracts.[9] As of February 2021, Lepore is still working for Costa.[10]
He is supportive ofabortion rights and received a 100% rating fromPlanned Parenthood in 2013 and 2014.[11][12]
In May 2019, it was reported that Costa and State Attorney GeneralJosh Shapiro had directed paid communications staffers to edit their Wikipedia pages with positive material.[13][14]
December 18, 2020, it was let known Jay Costa's law firm received $7,309,100 in PPP (Covid Related Paycheck Protection Program) loans ranking it 7th in all of Pittsburgh.[15]
Early in his career, Costa sponsored a plan to leverage rebates to lower drug costs for seniors.[16][17]
On February 21, 2021, it was reported that Jay Costa's son, Anthony, and Republican Senate Majority LeaderKim Ward's son, Mike, both work for lobbying firm Cameron Companies which "lobbies on behalf of some of the state’s largest corporations" including 3M.[18]
In a March 12, 2021, ruling, RE: "Gittins v. Gateway Clipper," the defendant represented by Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote of which Jay Costa is a Principal was fined $67,614 for failing to turn over discovery information.[19]
Costa has served on the board of trustees of theUniversity of Pittsburgh and is treasurer of the Community College of Allegheny County board.[20][21]
For the 2025-2026 Session Costa serves as the Minority Floor Leader and serves on the following committees in the State Senate:[22]
Media related toJay Costa at Wikimedia Commons
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minority Leader of thePennsylvania Senate 2011–present | Incumbent |
Statewide political officials ofPennsylvania | ||
|---|---|---|
| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| Senate |
| |
| House |
| |
| Supreme Court |
| |
Members of thePennsylvania State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
|  | |